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EWEB Main: 541-685-7000
At EWEB, we do what we can to help others in need. That’s been the reality for several of our electric and water crews over the past few weeks as we’ve responded to mutual aid requests for storm response and drinking water restoration, locally, and out of state.
Find Out MoreDespite an ice storm and a few windstorms in Eugene and the McKenzie Valley in the past few weeks, EWEB has so far fended off widespread weather-caused power outages – largely because of investments in year-round system maintenance and infrastructure improvements.
Find Out MoreEWEB makes electric mobility available to anyhone though e-bike rebates, car sharing and grants for local organizations with electric mobility projects.
Find Out MoreEnergy Efficiency tips to help you reduce your energy usage for National Cut your Energy Costs Day
Find Out MoreCommissioners unanimously voted to approve a Record of Decision endorsing the General Manager's Recommendation to decommission the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project and approved Resolution 2302 directing the GM to develop a Leaburg Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning Action Plan
Find Out MoreAt Alton Baker Park this week, Eugene 4J elementary students bid farewell to baby salmon they’d raised from eggs in their classrooms this fall. The activity was part of the Salmon Education Program funded by EWEB grants.
Find Out MoreEWEB is developing a plan to ensure that Eugene has a sufficient supply of reliable, affordable and clean electricity in the decades ahead, and is inviting the community to participate in the process.
Find Out MoreEWEB has joined 10 other Western utilities are to help ensure clean energy resources will be adequate to serve the growing demand in the region, while also managing costs and maintaining reliability for customers.
Find Out MoreFor their final meeting of 2022, on Dec. 6, the EWEB Board of Commissioners grappled with some major decisions and looked ahead to a new year.
Find Out MoreCommissioners supportive of General Manager's recommendation to remove Leaburg Dam
Find Out MoreIn the years ahead, EWEB will have to make a lot of decisions about where to get the electricity that we deliver to customers.
Find Out MoreOn a chilly November day, third graders from Adams Elementary School in Eugene learned about the lifecycle of native salmon on a field trip to Lake Creek near Triangle Lake. The field trips take place all month as part of a program funded by EWEB grants. EWEB dedicates a portion of customer rates to inspiring kids to explore the wonders of science and learn about watershed health, water quality, and emergency preparedness.
Find Out MoreFor EWEB, preparing for harsh winter storms is a year-round responsibility. While we can’t control the weather, we can make our electric infrastructure more resilient to withstand storms that bring snow, ice and wind to Eugene.
Find Out MoreThere’s no obvious right answer to the question of what to do about the Leaburg dam and canal. EWEB’s Board of Commissioners met this week for a work session with staff about the project.
Find Out MoreHundreds of landowners in the McKenzie River valley are working with EWEB to prevent future fires and protect the river by replanting burned properties and removing fuels like dead trees and underbrush.
Find Out MoreNovember 09, 2021
Electrification is a term for upgrading technologies that run on fossil-fuels, like gasoline vehicles and natural gas heating, with alternatives that run on electricity, like electric vehicles and heat pumps.
Here in Eugene, where we are fortunate to have one of the cleanest power portfolios in the nation, electrification presents opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support climate recovery goals. But there are also potential impacts on power supply resources and local infrastructure.
In early 2020, EWEB initiated a two-phase study to help quantify the benefits and impacts of widespread electrification in our community. The purpose of the study is to inform future utility decisions related to electricity supply planning, customer programs and rate design.
The Phase 1 report was complete in October 2020, and Phase 2 was completed and presented to EWEB's Board of Commissioners in November 2021 (watch the presentation video here).
The study focuses on electrification of passenger vehicles and existing buildings that use natural gas for space and water heating in EWEB's service territory and analyzes value from the perspective of the individual customer, EWEB ratepayers, and society as a whole.
Today approximately 90% of EWEB's power comes from carbon-free resources, making upgrading from gasoline and natural gas an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change.
EWEB's study concludes that Eugene residents could reduce community carbon emissions by 45% compared to 2017 levels, primarily through EV adoption. Aggressive changes across all sectors (including the natural gas sector by increasing use of Renewable Natural Gas), could lead to even greater carbon reductions—60% compared to 2017 levels.
It's important to note that building and vehicle electrification are only part of a larger community-wide decarbonization strategy. Other potential carbon reductions outside of this study include improving energy efficiency of buildings through upgrades to windows and insulation, replacing old heating and cooling system with a high-efficiency equipment, increasing use of bikes and other forms of micro-mobility, and reducing non-combustion GHGs (like methane leaks). All are key parts of the pathway to a low-carbon future.
EWEB's study analyzed the simple payback periods (upfront costs divided by annual savings) of transportation and building electrification and found that the most financially beneficial electrification opportunities come from electric vehicles and heat pump water heaters.
EWEB studied several kinds of space heating systems and found that different ducted heat pumps have trade-offs between upfront costs and carbon reduction. Without significant policy incentives, upgrading gas space heating systems to electric has a net cost to the customer over the equipment lifetime, making it less likely that customers will retrofit existing buildings. However, all the heat pump technologies studied deliver significant carbon reduction benefits, and some customers may feel that the climate benefits outweigh the costs. EWEB's study concluded that future incentives or mandates that alter the current economics could lead to higher levels of electrification and therefore greater carbon savings.
Technology improvements, regulatory policies and vehicle manufacturer trends are all driving significant adoption of electric vehicles. By 2040, 85-95% of the vehicles on the road could be electric. EWEB's study finds EVs provide benefits to vehicle owners, other electric ratepayers and society as a whole:
Upgrading from gasoline and natural gas to electric power can have beneficial effects on the price of electricity charged to EWEB customers, as increased electric revenues can be used to cover the fixed costs of the utility, reduce rates or pay for infrastructure investments.
However, under very high electrification scenarios, EWEB might have to purchase additional power resources or build additional infrastructure to meet electricity needs. While EWEB has near term capacity to handle additional load from electrification, we need to plan for long-term impacts to maintain affordability for our customers.
While EWEB's average load has declined since 2005, electrification has the potential to reverse that trend. The study finds that the pace of customer-driven electrification, if based on economic value alone, will be slow in the next decade, with EV adoption appearing to be the most likely and impactful. In the next several years, EWEB has enough surplus energy and adequate infrastructure to meet our customers' electrification needs and the upcoming Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) can help EWEB plan for the electricity supply needs of the future.
Managing peak electricity demand is a critical component of achieving climate recovery goals and keeping energy affordable for all customers.
Peak power—when the highest level of electricity is consumed in our region within a specific timeframe—is more expensive, affecting power supply and infrastructure costs and, ultimately, customer bills. The power supply during peak times also has higher greenhouse gas emissions, which contributes to climate change.
One key to managing peak impacts is to increase public and workplace charging during the middle of the day, shifting EV charging away from EWEB's existing 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. peaks. This can be done by increasing daytime public and workplace charging between the morning and evening peaks as well as shifting home charging to after 10 p.m. Increasing public or shared charging infrastructure can also be helpful for people without access to home charging such as customers who live in apartments.
EWEB is already engaged in some of this peak mitigation work. We offer a Level 2 charger rebate which can help our customers schedule their vehicle charging to after 10 p.m. In the upcoming year, we will be working with community partners to expand workplace and public charging infrastructure.
The study is part of EWEB's larger and ongoing Electricity Supply Planning (ESP) effort. Electricity Supply Planning includes a broad set of actions, such as evaluating power portfolio options, negotiating power purchase agreements, managing infrastructure, and developing customer products and services, all with the goal continuing to serve our community over the long-term with clean, affordable and reliable power. This electrification study helps EWEB understand our customer's demand for electricity in the future.
In 2022 EWEB will begin preparing our next Integrated Resource Plan, a process aimed at helping EWEB make decisions about long-term power generation resources. This electrification study will help us understand the potential impacts of electrification on those decisions.
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Mailing Address: 4200 Roosevelt Blvd., Eugene, OR 97402
Phone: 541-685-7000
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